Houston Independent School District trustees are conflict of interest-free, according to the most recent conflict disclosure forms filed last month.
The disclosure forms are due twice a year, on the 15th of January and July. On the forms Houston ISD school board members are required to disclose any business relationships or professional ties they may have with anyone doing business with the Houston Independent School District, as well as any gifts, commission or payments received from a business connected to HISD.
The blank disclosure forms follow a recent trend. According to all the submitted forms since January 2005, only one trustee has accepted any gifts, meals or tickets worth more than $50: Larry Marshall.
In 2009, Marshall reported receiving game tickets to both an Astros game and two Houston Texans NFL games. During an interview with Texas Watchdog last year, Marshall said, "I can't say that there's a high degree of frequency, but invitations flow. Invitations flow, and you're constantly being invited to something."
An ethics loophole exempts board members from having to report meals, gifts and entertainment from a vendor if the vendor is present. The loophole -- which results in a lower ethical standard than the one imposed on district employees -- is in state law and applies to other local officials.
A few new questions related to the federal E-Rate technology program were added to the disclosure forms this reporting period. The additions specifically address any relationships the trustees may have with E-Rate vendors; trustees also have to disclose any gifts or campaign contributions from E-Rate vendors and associated owners and employees.
E-Rate is a federally funded program that brings cut-rate telecommunications services to public schools, nonprofit private schools and libraries.
HISD trustees approved new E-Rate ethics rules in March after the Houston district paid $850,000 to settle a lawsuit with the Federal Communications Commission, which was brought after HISD employees were accused of improperly accepting gifts from technology vendors in 2006.
Employees, trustees and even the superintendent at the time, Abelardo Saavedra, were named as having accepted gifts ranging from sports tickets to all-expenses-paid birthday parties and personal checks.
The Houston school district also agreed to prohibit any E-Rate program employee and HISD trustees from accepting certain gifts.
Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org. Follow news about the Houston Independent School District on Twitter, #HISD.
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